Hi, I am Malini and Dakota is
my forever foster. We are in
Michigan. She is a
14 yo Pekingese who overcame IVDD that affected her back legs 2 years ago with conservative treatment.
On Feb 2, she suddenly went down. This time her
neck is involved and
her [FRONT?] right limbs and back left limb knuckle. We are not seeing a neurosurgeon and won't be getting an MRI. There may possibly be other dics affected in the thoracolumbar region.
☆ 1
15# Since last Saturday 03/08, on this current regimen.
1.
fentanyl patch 25mcg every 72h
2.
methocarbamol 500mg 3x
3.
gabapentin 100mg 3x
4.
pepcid 10mg 2x
5.
prednisone 5mg 2x started on 03/03 (see below) open ending date as of now
Other meds include
amlodipine 2.5mg x2 (hypertension from before),
miralax 1/4 tsp 2x. She also has a heart murmur 3/6 and is under cardiologist care.
Prior to this, she was not responding to the following and changes were made at different times to control pain:
1.
meloxicam changed to prednisone 10 days ago after washout period. Given a shot of
another anti-inflammatory [name of?] for coverage.
2. increased frequency of gabapentin and methocarbamol from 2x to 3x
3. introduced tramadol
50mg before bed
but was causing her to pant, so shifted to ▼
[tramadol]25 mg 2x.
[Moderator's note: please do not modify
15 lbs 14 y.o.
Meloxicam as of 2/2: 1/4 tsp 2x for 18 days stopped 2/20 for a 10-day washout
Dex shot given during washout
prednisone as 3/3: 5mg 2x/day for ? days, then TEST TAPER for: _pain?/ _ neuro?
fentanyl patch as of 3/8: 25mcg exp in 72 hrs on 3/11
methocarbamol 500mg 3x/day
gabapentin 100mg 3x/day
tramadol ▼25mgs 2x/day
amlodipine 2.5mg 2x/day (blood pressure)
miralax 1/4 tsp 2x/day
pepcid 10mg 2x/day]
☆ 3 No MRI. Working with our rehab vet. Her
neck has a swollen area. She has DPS in all limbs, wags her tail and
has full bladder control. She will pee or poop on her bed occasionally. She does strain to poop and at times has a
tight, tense tummy. She also
pants randomly. Her eyes bulge at such times.
Note that she
cannot drink by herself nor move to a water bowl.
At times she is able to lift her head. I used to hold a bowl to her mouth to drink but lately, am giving her only wet food supplemented with water/broth to reduce movement to the water bowl. I handfeed her or hold her food to her mouth as she leans against a rolled blanket.
I inject water in her mouth as needed day and night. I also carry her to pee and potty in an area outside her recovery suite. She may go where she is lying down. She knows when she has to go, but
strains to poop, hence the miralax. She pees on her own but if she is fussy, I sometimes rub or press on her belly so she can release her bladder.
I realize this is more handling than ideal. She has a full-body harness but
her neck is dangling without support and I don't want to risk further injury.
In addition, she is
gassy so we
increased the antacid to 2x and I am also having to hold her and burp her so she can be comfortable. She cries when she is uncomfortable (prefers to sleep on the right side and does not like rotating and turning), needs to pee or poop, is thirsty or hungry or gassy. When she gets upset for the abive reasons,she
thrashes about and flails her neck and I fear the latter and all the extra handling are compromising and delaying her recovery. In fact, I
think her neck injury may have worsensed since Day 1. ☆ 4 What was the date you saw the vet and started 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks?
Immediately [2/2]. ☆ 6
Unable to walk. Will roll if she tries to move.
Can wag her tail.
Also receiving
weekly cold laser therapy treatment and
acupuncture/electroacupuncture. She
did have 2 sessions of water therapy where she was just buoyant and the tech gently moved her legs,
but I stopped it.
How can I make her feel better so she is comfortable? Thank you for your insight.
